Episode 8: Is Picky Eating Real?

If you've been listening to Didn't I Just Feed You for a while now, you know that Stacie and Meghan are nerds, but Stacie's all extra nerdy having spent years applying her background in child development to thinking about, researching, and talking to parents about picking eating. But that doesn't mean she considers herself an expert. Not exactly.

See, it's kinda complicated. And in the end, it turns out that only you hold the answers to unlocking your picky eater's potential. Listen for how Stacie and Meghan think you can get the most out of them — and stay sane doing it.

We've Got the Power

Real or Not, Nature or Nurture, Parents Wield More Influence Than They Know

This week, Stacie and Meghan kick off their three-part series on picky eating. It's a doozy of a topic, and not just because picky eating is such a popular concern among parents today (and yesterday and tomorrow). The truth is, it's a doozy of a topic because it creates a bit of a tension for us here at DIJFY HQ.

See, we started Didn't I Just Feed You to be a safe space for all parents. Our goal is to be able to amplify as many voices and perspectives as possible. We're building this to be a judgement-free zone, which we believe is desperately needed in parenting, especially around family food. At the same time, we believe that it does our listeners a disservice not to share our expertise honestly.

Let's hit pause for a moment: It's important to acknowledge that our expertise is borne of privilege. We are two white women, married to partners who actively participate in the raising of our children, who can not only comfortably afford food, but who can comfortably afford to experiment with food.

With this in mind, we believe that most (not, all, but most) picky eater problems stem from how kids are parented around food and eating. And sometimes, that means overparented. It's not always about doing more. Rather in some cases, it's about doing and saying less and leaving kids alone to do their thing without weighing in so much.

We know. If you have a picky eater, that can be infuriating to hear. WE GET THAT.

But please know that we say it without judgement. Truly! If we didn't, it would mean that we expected you -- and, in turn, ourselves -- to parent perfectly. Which, SERIOUSLY?! There is no such possibility. (Do you hear how often we refer to whiskey?)

Also, there is a positive side to what we're saying: If parents play a role in creating the problem, we can play a role in fixing it.

We have the power!

Listen to this week's episode for seven very concrete, very practical, very real life suggestions. And know that they aren't prescriptive suggestions, but rather flexible ones that can apply to your life no matter your circumstance or parenting style.

You just need to align how you parent around the table with how you parent in other areas.

Help Is All Around

About Our Sponsor

A huge thank you Mom’s Best for sponsoring this week's episode and for offering our readers a seriously awesome giveaway. Read below for more!

When back-to-school hits, the conversation immediately turns to school lunch and dinners. But busy parents know that mornings can be just as hectic — if not more! We tend not to talk about breakfast because so many kids skip their first meal of the day or reach for a grab-and-go convenience meal. The catch? Most of them are packed with ingredients that undermine their focus and performance. That’s why we love our sponsor, MOM’S BEST CEREAL.

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What We're Digging

This week Stacie is sharing her favorite lazy cook shortcut, something she discovered when she had to eliminate garlic from her cooking to accommodate her son's doctor-prescribed FODMAP diet: Boyajian Garlic Infused Oil.

This delicious, high-quality oil adds tons of garlic flavor to your cooking without any of the peeling, slicing, or chopping. Use it to make quick sauces, fried rices, sautes, stir-fries, and more. Meghan suggested frying eggs with it or even just drizzling some over avocado toast — delicious!

And if you have a picky eater who hates the texture of garlic or just has eagle eyes for the stuff, add garlic flavor without any of the evidence. Ha!

Meghan's pick of the week is the new cookbook by Chrissy Teigen, Cravings: Hungry For More. If you aren't a fan, don't go groaning just yet. Neither was Meghan — until she had to put this book to the test for her job at Kitchn.

Not only did Chrissy's humor and fearless approach to food win Meghan over, but so did the recipes. They're good. And at the end of the day, let's not forget that Meghan and Stacie are for real food professionals. This book stood up to Meghan's standards, and her family approved too.